Campus safety isn’t just about law enforcement—it’s about building trust, communication, and strong relationships across the university community. As Griffin puts it, “the most important thing in planning any type of event is the relationship. [Establish] relationships with people within the university beforehand to let them know, ‘here’s our capabilities’ and ‘here’s how we can support your events.’”
Modern campus safety relies on more than officers in uniform. Griffin describes it as an “integrated, holistic university response,” where public safety works hand in hand with student life, facilities, IT, community engagement, and even outside agencies such as the Philadelphia Police Department. This collaboration ensures that events are not just secure, but supported from every angle—technical, logistical, and community-facing.
One of the greatest challenges in event management is last-minute surprises.
“There’s nothing worse than being notified the day before an event that they’re having 150 people coming and you haven’t heard about it,” Griffin said.
Strong relationships across departments mean earlier notifications, better planning, and fewer crises. Faculty and staff are more likely to reach out to campus safety leaders when they view them as partners rather than enforcers.
“It can be difficult for university public safety to operate in an environment where they don’t feel supported to make certain decisions. That’s the sort of challenge where we think about relationships with the university. Having those relationships and understanding that interoperability and the support of each other [is critical],” said Lynch. “The relationships with the division of student life and university executive leadership all come into play.”
At UC Boulder, Lynch said, “there is a representative committee that is part of the event management process. In addition to public safety, there’s student life, facilities, and IT. There will be representatives from whoever the sponsoring organization is, and then also someone from our community engagement office and event planning.”
Griffin emphasizes that relationships don’t build themselves — relationships require ongoing outreach. By attending cabinet meetings and meetings with provosts, deans, faculty senate leaders, and student affairs staff, she raises awareness that even a classroom speaker can quickly become a campus-wide event. Sharing resources and information “brings the temperature down for people,” helping them see campus safety as an ally.
Lynch echoes this and points out the need for town-and-gown relationships — building trust not just within the university, but with city, county, and state agencies. Safety thrives when support is widespread, and decisions are backed by strong, cooperative partnerships.
Watch more of Lynch’s comments here.
Ultimately, no one is alone in the process.
“Somebody has dealt with the issue that you’re dealing with,” Griffin said, “There are so many great organizations in this space for campuses and universities. Just start reaching out to people. I know when I was new to higher ed, I was making phone calls, and people were overwhelmingly helpful – ‘Oh, I have a policy on that,’ or, ‘this is what we did that went well, and this is what we did that didn’t go well.’”
“People in higher education really are very collaborative and really want to support each other, so don’t be afraid to reach out.”
Watch more of Griffin’s comments here.
Mark Hall: “That’s one thing in my roughly 35 years around higher education. It’s the collegiality, the support across institutions and from professionals. It’s one of the great things about this profession and being involved in higher ed.”
Ultimately, campus safety isn’t a one-department job. It’s a shared responsibility, strengthened by relationships, transparency, and collaboration.
By fostering these connections, universities create not just safer campuses, but communities where students, faculty, and staff feel supported, respected, and heard.
Campuses, Strong Communities: A Campus Safety Blog Series
Campus safety is complex, ever-changing, and deeply collaborative. In this series, Safe Campuses, Strong Communities, we explore how universities can create environments that are both open and secure. Through conversations with campus safety leaders, we look at the policies, spaces, and partnerships that help student affairs administrators and their colleagues prepare for challenges while supporting vibrant campus life.